A rare poem retelling the night Valletta’s former opera house was engulfed by flames in 1873 has been translated and published.

Il-Hruk ta Irreali Teatru (The Burning of the Royal Theatre) is an eight-page poem written by an ‘amateur’ on frail pieces of paper.

The poem is a dramatic retelling of the events of May 25, 1873, when during rehearsals of Giuseppe Privitera’s opera La Vergine del Castello, the theatre caught fire and performers and staff raced to flee the burning building.

The opera house pictured in 1911.

Actor and tour guide Jeremy Grech, known as il-Pirata, got his hands on the poem after buying it from lecturer and historian William Zammit earlier this year for €190.

A history buff who rarely strays from the stage, Grech did not want to keep the poem to himself and decided to share the epic verses with the public.

“It’s a piece of Maltese theatre history, which I love and it’s also very rare,” Grech told Times of Malta. “I’m no researcher or historian, but I love that I have my hands on this poem. And why not give it out to the public?”

The poem is being released today to coincide with the date when the Opera House ultimately went on to become one of the casualties of World War II

A picture of a verse of the original poem. Photo: Jeremy Grech

Grech, a numismatist (coin collector) recently started collecting Maltese theatre memorabilia, which is what led him to stumble upon the poem.

“Since a lot of my performances are linked to history, I started to buy Melitensia theatre books to help with my research, and slowly my collection grew. Once I die, I can leave all my collection to the national theatre,” he said.

After hours of copying the poem in its original form, translating the verses, and with some help from friends to triple-check for any spelling mistakes, the 27-year-old published all three versions of the poem – in its original state, modern Maltese, and English.

A section of the poem reads: “Confusioni l’actar cbira/ biza bichi u ghaiat/ bein l’orchestra u il cantanti/ li culhat bacha scantat.”

“Konfużjoni l’ aktar kbira/ biża biki u għajjat/ bejn l-orkestra u il-kantanti/ li kulħadd baqa’ skantat.” (Much confusion, fear, crying and shouting, between the orchestra and singers. Everybody was stunned).

The pamphlet was on sale at Vincenzo Bartolo’s barber shop at Old Bakery Street (Strada Forni).

Part of the poem in original Maltese and modern Maltese side by side.

On October 11, 1877 – after nearly four and a half years from the accidental fire – the theatre reopened with a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida.

The poem is being released today to coincide with the date when the Opera House ultimately went on to become one of the casualties of World War II.

On the evening of April 7, 1942, tragedy struck the opera house once again when it was directly hit and destroyed by Luftwaffe bombers. What remained of the majestic theatre was heaps of rumble, with a few columns and hard stone bases surviving the devastating attack.

Grech’s great-grandfather George Sandham survived the bombing of the Royal Theatre on April 7, 1942. Photo: Jeremy Grech

The event is also a significant one for Grech, whose great-grandfather, George Sandham, managed to dodge death that night outside the theatre.

“That day celebrates my great-grandad’s biggest shock in his life,” he said. “Sandham was a police officer, and his main duty that night was to make sure no one ran into the theatre to shelter from the bombs or to loot items from the building. At around 6pm, as the air raid went off and the streets were empty as everyone made their way to the shelters, my great-grandfather turned to his colleague and asked if he could cross the road to light up a cigarette.”

The moment Sandham arrived on the other side of the road, the bombs landed on the theatre, destroying the building and killing his colleague.

“I was told he was taken to hospital for shock; however, he lived to tell the tale, and here I am today. The one time a cigarette doesn’t kill you!”

Reflecting on translating the poem, with the assistance of Nicole Bartolo, Grech said while most of the words are similar to modern Maltese, a few words were difficult to decipher. The most noticeable difference in the original piece is where Maltese words that begin with a ‘K’ are spelled with a ‘C’.

While Grech is publishing the poem for free, he said he would greatly appreciate contributions from the public.

“Today even when reading an e-book there is sometimes a fee. It cost me quite a bit to purchase and it was also a time-consuming project, so if anyone wishes to help that would be greatly appreciated.”

Grech doesn’t waste his theatre knowledge but uses it also for his guided tours, where he entertains and educates his guests through storytelling and acting.

Grech’s House of Tours does just that, providing theatre tours around the island and delving into different historical periods – from the Romans, and the Knights of St John, to World War II.